


Flower Shop Fight Club

by sephcounttheways



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Alcohol, Everyone Is Gay, F/F, Fist Fights, M/M, Male-Female Friendship, Mild Blood, Sexism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:41:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25639696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sephcounttheways/pseuds/sephcounttheways
Summary: Tifa Lockheart is an undefeated MMA fighter, but can't get accepted into the Shin-Ra army. What happens when she gets invited to a totally illegal underground SOLDIER fight club? She totally doesn't not get wooed by the fight club's owner, miss Aerith Gainsborough.
Relationships: Aerith Gainsborough/Tifa Lockhart, Sephiroth/Cloud Strife
Comments: 13
Kudos: 55
Collections: FF7 Fanworks Exchange '20





	Flower Shop Fight Club

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Venn_Circeles](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Venn_Circeles/gifts).



> Hello, Venn_Circeles!

“Sweetheart, you're just not SOLDIER material.”

Tifa stared across the desk at the Shin-Ra recruiter, “I'm in the minimum weight class. I'm at the height requirement. I'm the perfect age. I have an undefeated win streak in the Midgar's MMA league. What is it about me that isn't SOLDIER material?”

The man leveled her a firm glare, “You're gonna make me say it, aren't you?”

“Say what?” she asked innocently.

“The army just isn't for women...” the recruiter's back straightened with panic, and he was clearly wondering what the current best terminology was, “Not that we wouldn't accept a transwoman, we're very inclusive of all identities! Just not a woman like you – or uh, not women with... natural born... vagina people.”

Tifa was enjoying watching him flounder, and asked, “Why not?”

He let out a breath and lost his posture, “Being a SOLDIER isn't just about weight and height, there's a lot that a SOLDIER's body goes through that's never been tested on a female body. What if you lost your ability to carry children?”

“I don't want kids.”

“You can't know that for sure...” He gave her a paternal smile, “Ms. Lockheart, you have very warm eyes, I bet you'd be a great mom once you meet the right guy... that's it isn't it? You might think you want a SOLDIER husband, but trust me – the good ones are taken and the rest are raging homos!”

“ _I'm_ a raging homo.”

“Huh?”

“I'm a lesbian!”

"... Why? You're so pretty, you could have any man you want!"

She let out a growl of disbelief, “Give me something to sign – I don't care! You can remove my stupid uterus if that's what's stopping you from – ”

He got loud right back, “On the flip side we can't have a bunch of female SOLDIERs taking years off work every time they _feel_ like having a baby. Not to mention they'd be out of commission once a month, scheduling would be total madness!”

“You're telling me that female Turks literally take off work for their periods? I doubt that very much, Sir!”

His eyes brightened, “Have you given any thought to the Turks? Way less biological work, way shorter Academy training, and you'd look great in a suit!” he began digging around in his drawer and produced a brochure showing a male and a female Turk posing back-to-back on the front.

It was her fourth time receiving this brochure. Tifa Lockheart was twenty-years-old, and had moved to Midgar at sixteen with her best friend Cloud Strife to enroll in the Shin-Ra army. He'd been admitted immediately, but she hadn't.

Four years later, he was now a Third Class SOLDIER and living with his _fiance..._ General Sephiroth. It wasn't that she was jealous that Cloud had a happy relationship, it was just... Sephiroth had sort of become a symbol for everything that Tifa lacked. Financial stability, a loving partner, a SOLDIER uniform... she was barely staying above water in expensive ass Midgar by living with three roommates and fighting professionally – or trying to. She spent way more on training than she made winning fights, so she was also a bartender. And a part-time waitress. And a part-part-time social media manager for her gym to help offset training costs. And there was this old man who routed about 400 gil to her whenever she sent him a new video of her wearing lingerie and high heels while stomping on eggs.

Other girls were dating, going out and getting drunk, but Tifa's life was a nonstop grind. She worked and trained with a lot of girls that she felt curious about, and they were always trying to get her to come out and have fun... but friends and girlfriends that weren't in the army didn't fit in with her vision of how she thought her life should go. She didn't want to let anything distract her... the right woman would be apart of her life in Shin-Ra, not someone who was constantly waiting for her in the civilian world.

So for four years she'd met with a different recruiter each August, and every year they'd give her some bullshit spiel about how she wasn't fit enough for SOLDIER. Not even with four years of nonstop training and a winning streak that would have made any male MMA fighter famous. Fighting was fun, but it was treading water until the opportunity she really wanted might finally open up to her.

She had just turned twenty, so she was right in the median age group for a new comer, but boys that were sixteen were enrolling by the hundreds. Guys her age were already experienced and holding rank – hell, Cloud was twenty-one and he was already a Third. She'd moved across the world to have adventures with her best friend, but now she was being left behind. It was only going to keep getting harder and harder to catch up, if they ever let her in at all.

Knowing this was probably one of the last years she would realistically be able to apply, she took the Turk program brochure with a frown. For the first time, she actually opened it, “... Okay. Thanks for your time.”

Cloud was waiting for her in the lobby, and his glowing mako blue eyes lit up even brighter when he saw her. It felt even worse to hold up the same Turk brochure.

His shoulders dropped, “God! _Seriously_? Why?”

“My primal desire to pop out babies nonstop are standing in the way of my career.”

“What!?”

They walked outside into the August sun, squinting and adjusting to the sudden heat from the air-conditioned recruitment office. Tifa pulled off her business-casual interview cardigan, revealing arms that were more powerful than her best friend's... who was y'know, a literal SOLDIER. She tied the sweater around her waist and marched off the premises.

He was on her heels, “I don't get it! I've even asked Seph about this, they have meetings all the time where they vote about letting women into the army, and they always get votes. It's basically unanimous! It doesn't make sense! I'm sorry! I wouldn't let you keep applying like this if I didn't know for a fact that the higher ups are for it! If there was some way to get your application to someone else, someone higher- ”

“It's a boy's club, it's always gonna be a boy's club,” she griped, putting on some sunglasses.

“But it really isn't like that!” Cloud insisted, “It's like all the sexist douchebags work in recruiting but SOLDIERs and army don't feel that way at all! Why don't you just let me ask Seph to - ?”

“I don't want or need his help. If I get in, I can do it on my own.”

“I don't understand why yo – ”

“Don't you have a mission today? Go to work.”

“Tifa I'm sorry,” Cloud repeated. “I'm _sorry_. I wish I could make them change their minds. And I wish I didn't have to work in like forty minutes, or else we'd totally be having a drink right now.”

She stopped and looked at him. He wasn't wearing his SOLDIER uniform. He didn't talk much about his work life, or wear that uniform around her unless he had to, but his newly glowing eyes weren't so easy to change out of. Even if they did make her envious, they were showing nothing but concern so she swallowed her disappointment, “... Don't be sorry, it's not your fault. Thanks for being here. I'm being a bitch, but rejection really does suck less when you're here.”

“I'll always be here. And one day, I'm gonna be here when you come out of that office with good news.”

“If they wouldn't take me this year, what's gonna be different next year?”

“A different recruiter, a different vibe, a different phase of the moon, I dunno! This is _our_ dream... I would never have gotten this far without you and I refuse to give up. Maybe you've got the wrong look – too femme. We'll get you one of those dykey undercuts and a sleeveless denim pantsuit!”

She socked him in the arm for that and he hissed in real pain, rubbing it as he bumped into her and began walking again. He laced his fingers through hers, and they swung their arms as they walked together towards the train station.

“I don't mean to selfishly turn the topic on myself, but can I tell you a secret?” he asked.

“Is it gross?”

“No.”

She'd been burdened with the knowledge of his secrets too many times, so she endeavored to clarify, “Does it have _anything_ to do with your butt?”

“No!”

“Then I don't believe you. You have no secrets that aren't butt secrets.”

“It's a brand new secret... it's an 'I wouldn't even say it over the phone' kind of secret...”

Tifa's eyes widened as her pace slowed, “What's going on and why haven't you told me yet?”

“I just didn't want to say anything until after your appointment... I was hoping it'd be a good news boost. But it might still be fun... have you ever heard of the Flower Shop?”

“No.”

“Really? I thought you might have. Nobody you train with ever mentioned it?”

“I'm assuming it's not a flower shop? Please tell me you're not taking steroids or something?”

“Nothing like that. It's a place, um...” he lowered his voice, “... a place for SOLDIERs to let off steam on the down low –”

“Ew!” She cried, “This _is_ a butt secret! You're going to a _sex club_?”

“Shh! No! Shut up!” He cackled, then took her arms and whispered against her ear, “It's a fight club.”

“... Really?”

“Yeah! I went with Seph last week to watch a friend of his fight, it's really fun! It's more of a betting thing than just a fight-for-no-reason thing... it's super underground and illegal and unethical, so not everyone knows about it. And not everyone who fights is a SOLDIER. It's kind of a way for civilians to take a swing at us – I mean... at people in the army... without being worried about getting arrested. Anyway, I'm having my first fight on Friday night!”

“How dangerous is this?”

“Not really at all! No swords, no magic, no nothing. Not even gloves. Just bare knuckle fighting... I'm always coming to see you kick ass, do you wanna come watch me for a change? You might even make some money!”

Tifa was always in awe when she watched Cloud with a sword. He was literally a prodigy, and he deserved to be a SOLDIER... but just bare knuckle fighting? She predicted he was going to get his ass handed to him.

“Of course I'll come!” she gave him a hug around his neck. “... And not to selfishly make it about me again, but do you think they'd let me fight, too?”

“You're literally unmatched, they'd probably pay you to fight!”

“So who's going Friday?”

“Just me and Sephiroth. Come over Friday around like eight, we can pregame.”

She'd been avoiding becoming a third wheel since they got together three years ago, and she wasn't about to start now, “Just text me the address, I'll meet you guys there.”

“Can I just put it in your phone myself?... Better to be careful...” His eyes flicked meaningfully towards the direction of Shin-Ra tower. He didn't know the exact address, but looking at the street view maps on her phone, he was able to point it out to her, “There.”

“Jesus, it takes almost two hours to get down there!” Tifa griped, looking at the train routes.

“Why are you being weird? Just come with us! Sephiroth will drive us, we'll sit in the backseat and treat him like an Uber.”

“... Fine,” she agreed before sliding her phone into her back pocket. “I don't have any fights 'til the season starts again after the new year, it might be fun. How do people dress?”

“As hoeish as possible,” Cloud suggested with a grin.

“I'm getting flashbacks of middle school,” she laughed.

Cloud's mom _adored_ Tifa; she wanted a daughter to an irritating degree so it was convenient that her son's best friend was a girl. Since their house was so close to the bus stop, she'd come over for breakfast every morning before school. And as they got older, Tifa began to complain about how strictly her parents required her to dress, and Cloud's mom had been a young girl with great legs once, too. So she allowed Tifa to change her clothes at their house, and taught her how to apply makeup when she wanted to wear it. She never really dressed _hoeish_ , but... well, she kind of did. Somehow Tifa's parents never found out, since she always returned home in her sensible school uniform with a washed face.

“Bring your sluttiest clothes over to my place and let's get ready together like the good old days! Maybe we can even video chat with mom!”

“It'll be like 4am in Nibelheim!”

“Then it'll just be us! Please?”

Tifa shifted her weight shyly, “It's different now, we're not thirteen. And it's not your mom's place... it's Sephiroth's.”

"It's _my_ place, too!" Cloud cried. He was immune to social awkwardness and would literally blast himself into anywhere he wanted without giving a single shit. He refused to accept that his best friend and future husband weren't also friends. “I really have to run, but I'm not moving from this spot until you agree, so agree fast!”

“Sephiroth wouldn't mind me just invading and getting ready with you?”

“Are you kidding? He's the biggest hoe of all!” Cloud cried. “Do you know how impossible it is to get him to put on a shirt?”

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The amount of schedule shuffling and ass kissing she had to do to get a Friday night off was stupid. But she'd taken on so many extra shifts, she was owed a couple of favors by her coworkers who always seemed to have something better to do than make money. She he needed to support her friend while he got his ass kicked, and if she had to quit then she'd fucking quit. There were a billion bars and restaurants to work at in Midgar, but thankfully all the stars aligned and allowed her one night off.

Her roommate Jessica was close to her size and nearly thirty, and that little touch of mature discernment meant that she wore some really cute clothes and looked totally hot when she went out, but also kind of classy. So Tifa asked to raid her wardrobe and borrow something to wear.

“Ohh! Where are you going?” she asked, kind of flattered that Tifa chose to look through her clothes. Being an apartment shared by four young women in Midgar, Jessica's 'closet' was actually all the lower cabinets in the kitchen.

“To watch my friend fight,” she answered. It was the truth, after all.

Jessica lost all interest as she usually did with Tifa's athletic life, “Hm.”

Tifa selected a really pretty, white bodycon dress and some nude colored heels, and grabbed her curling iron and every bit of makeup she owned. With a bag full of glam, she put her hair in a ponytail and threw on some yoga pants, and made her way over to Cloud's new place. He was outside on the stoop waiting, and when he saw her he stood up and waved happily.

There was something crooked about the way he was smiling, “You started pregaming without me, didn't you?”

“I only had one drink!” and then he corrected himself, “Two technically. Seph didn't like his so I drank both.”

Cloud led the way into the building, and their apartment was a short elevator ride to the top. Some of the buildings in Nibelheim had been around for like four hundred years, so everything in Midgar seemed brand new to both of them. But this was one of the older places on the plate, and was just retro enough to be charming.

He opened the door and kicked his shoes off, and she followed his example and did the same. She followed close behind Cloud nervously, almost as if an apartment shared by a SOLDIER and a General would just spit out a four time recruitment reject immediately. But it was actually a really cute little place, obviously shared by two men and recently moved into. There was just some kind of smell to a boy apartment, not bad, just definitely different than the one she lived in with three other girls.

“Hey Tifa Lockheart," Sephiroth said when he heard them come in, and he came out of the kitchen with three glasses and gave her one.

“Hey General Sephiroth,” She smiled up at him and accepted the glass. The first couple of times she'd met him, she gave him her full name out of sheer nervousness, and he'd decided to make fun of her forevermore. To be fair, she hadn't given him much material to work with by avoiding him so much.

Cloud took a big gulp of his drink and swallowed it violently before he thought to ask, “What is this?”

Sephiroth took a drink, “I found the perfect ratio. Those ones earlier were too strong.”

“Too strong!” Cloud repeated in disbelief, and took another gulp. “Seph, this is literally just lemonade.”

“There's vodka in there, too.”

Tifa took a sip and tilted her head, “ _Is_ there?”

“It's the perfect ratio,” Sephiroth repeated, and looked between the two of them. “You're a bartender. Drinks are supposed to taste good, right?”

“I am a bartender, and if I served drinks like this I'd probably get shot.”

They dumped more vodka into their cups and Cloud showed her around the place, although even nice apartments in Midgar were still rather small. They didn't have much either, Sephiroth didn't appear to be very materialistic and Cloud's stuff was mostly electronic in nature. They did seem to have a lot of candles.

"This place is super cute," was her comment when the tour was complete.

“No ghosts,” Cloud shrugged in disappointment at the end of the apartment tour. “Not yet, anyway.”

Sephiroth's voice came rumbling from the living room, “What the fuck do you mean, _yet_?”

What they lacked in ghosts they made up for with a second bathroom. Cloud took her in there and eagerly sat down on the closed toilet lid, “So what's it gonna be? Big hair, vampy makeup, fishnets, ass out?”

“You might be a little disappointed,” Tifa said as she pulled out the revealing, yet tasteful dress and shoes she'd borrowed.

Quite the opposite, Cloud's jaw dropped, “I love it! Put it on!”

He covered his eyes while she undressed and stepped into it, then stood up to help her zip it up and adjust it by pulling here and there until the ruching stretched across and sat against her curves perfectly.

She watched him in the mirror, “Will you keep an eye on me tonight and make sure it doesn't bunch up weirdly anywhere?”

“Of course...” Cloud pouted suddenly. “You look so beautiful! My little hoe grew up to be such a lady!”

"Shut up!" she groaned, but couldn't help asking, "... Were there any, like... do girls go to this place?"

"Some," he answered, plugging in her curling iron, and his own flat iron in case she needed it. "I didn't get much of a vibe from them though, they're like SOLDIER-slut types."

"That's exactly what I'm about to look like," she giggled. She curled her hair just a little and did her makeup, letting Cloud help when he could. She smiled at him as he artfully applied blush to the apples of her cheeks, “Do you want some makeup, too?”

“I don't need it,” he drawled.

"Nobody does," she told him.

He looked in the mirror and touched the brush to his own cheek until one side had a little pinkish, peachy glow. He then decided to do the other side, then took a step back to consider himself, "I'm not sure this is my color."

"Yeah, blondes need a whole different set up. Try this red lipstick, though."

"Okay," he leaned in and applied it carefully.

Sephiroth had chosen this moment to appear in the doorway with three more glasses.

Cloud looked at him, “What?”

Sephiroth took a long moment to process what he was seeing, and then lifted up the glasses which appeared to contain soda, “... I figured something out.”

“What?” Cloud repeated.

“I hate lemonade,” He gave them each a new glass. "Dr. Pepper is better."

Tifa nodded as she took a careful sip, “Way better than the lemonade.”

Cloud took his usual gulp and messed up his lipstick. But he nodded and gave a thumbs up as he swallowed, “Great ratio, thanks honey.”

“So, uh...” Sephiroth was still trapped in an awkward pause and looked at Tifa, “... Cloud told me about your before-school clothes-changing thing... did Cloud dress slutty, too?”

“My past is shrouded in mystery,” Cloud lifted his foot to kick the door shut. It didn't close all the way, and Sephiroth's eyes were bright in the crack.

Tifa grinned at him, “Cloud was only allowed to be a hoe once. They suspended him.”

Cloud began wiping the lipstick from his lips and the blush off his cheeks, “I got a cool nickname, though.”

Sephiroth had opened the door again to lean on the frame, “What was that?”

“The fag who got suspended for dressing like a girl,” Cloud told him. “Mountain kids aren't very creative bigots. Tifa got a nickname too.”

“That girl who always hangs out with that fag who got suspended for dressing like a girl,” Tifa supplied. “I didn't know I was a lesbian back then, it might have been more creative if I did.”

Cloud couldn't stop himself, “That lesbian who always hangs out with that fag who got suspended -”

“We get it!” Tifa said, opening up her highlighter to put on the finishing touches.

Cloud decided to wear his SOLDIER uniform, since the novelty hadn't worn off yet and it was the easiest thing to fight in. Sephiroth was only in a pair of leather pants until it was time to leave, and he threw on a jacket with the throat and chest mostly unzipped. Tifa was easily the best dressed of the three, and while she was always confident in her body and appearance, and it felt kind of good to walk out onto the sidewalk and cause men to literally turn 180 degrees to look at her as she walked past. She most _definitely_ looked like a SOLDIER-slut.

And maybe kind of instinctively, Sephiroth and Cloud were walking on either side of her. It was unnecessary, but kind of cute to have such high profile bodyguards.

When they got to Sephiroth's car Cloud didn't treat him like an Uber driver as promised. Instead, he insisted Tifa take the front seat beside Sephiroth and sat with his head popped between the two of them. She's caught on what he was up to, and had to admit that it wasn't so bad hanging out with Sephiroth.

"Can you sit back?" Sephiroth kept complaining.

"No."

“Seriously, sit back. I can't see the rear view, your hair is blocking everything."

“What do you need to see?” Cloud demanded.

“Other cars,” was the simple answer.

So for most of the ride Cloud and his chin on the armrest between them. Tifa put her elbow on top of his head, and he seemed content with that.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The Flower Shop was located up the steps of a really pretty cathedral in the downtown slums. There was a large, ornate doorway with a handmade sign telling visitors to ring the bell for service, and there were wagons and baskets full of silk flowers sitting out in the hot, late summer downtown darkness. Inside the stained glass windows, Tifa could see real flowers displayed to entice customers to enter.

They didn't approach that entryway, though. Sephiroth and Cloud led her around to the back of the building, where a side door was propped open and red neon light glowed from within. From the outside it sounded like a club, but nobody was dancing inside. The vibe was expectant and tense, and most of the people in there were big, jacked civilian guys or SOLDIERs. As promised, there were a few women in the crowd, but it didn't seem much like a scene for socializing.

“Oh look out, step aside, minor celebrity coming through,” announced a dark haired SOLDIER, and he grabbed Sephiroth's waist into a hug.

"I literally saw you like three hours ago," he didn't do much to end the hug though.

Cloud touched Tifa's elbow, “That's our friend Zack, he's one of the organizers of this place. You met him once I think?”

“He looks familiar, yeah,” she nodded.

Zack pushed Sephiroth away and was suddenly in Tifa's personal space, “By all means, _please_ reintroduce us...”

Cloud was happy to, “This is my best friend in the world Tifa Lockheart, the champion, undefeated MMA boxing babe!”

“ _Major_ celebrity coming through, then!" Zack held out an arm for Tifa, "Welcome to the Flower Fight Club, I'm sure you're about to see some _really_ terrible form tonight. These guys absolutely suck without their weapons, but that's all part of the fun! I'm sure you're used to more high class establishments, but do you know how to place a sports bet?”

“I'm kind of not that interested in betting... who's the guy to talk to around here about possibly fighting?” Tifa asked him.

Zack looked offended, “Who says the boss is a guy?”

Tifa laughed, “Is it a boss lady?”

“She sure is!” he told her, and they walked across the floor. The place looked like an old gymnasium, the floor was a faded old basketball court, and there was a large clock that took up a huge portion of one wall that showed the time. There was a bar along one wall, and some bleachers were extended out from the wall where less interested groups of people were sitting and waiting for things to begin.

They approached a structure that looked like something a life guard would sit on on the beach. It was out of place, and a young woman was perched up there with a microphone propped under her chin, and seemed to be deep in concentration and studying a lap full of papers.

“Aerith!” Zack called to her. “Got a minute?”

“I don't like this intro!” Aerith complained to him. “It's not funny enough. What else do you know about him?”

Zack looked at Cloud, “... He looks like a chocobo.”

Aerith's eyes lit up and she leaned down, “Oh my God, is that him?”

Cloud was frowning, “What's happening?”

She was now busy in her lap with scribbling, “Got it! Perfect. You're fighting first tonight, rookie.”

In this company, Cloud could handle being called a rookie. But he was still miffed, “Who am I fighting?”

“Whatever civilian volunteers first,” she answered as she scribbled something out and kept on writing. “I'll introduce you and then see who steps up. There are some good people here tonight, might be an interesting match.”

Cloud hopped a little in nervousness, “I need to go to the bathroom! And I need another drink! Seph, will you take me please? We'll be right back!”

Sephiroth gave them a resigned smile and herded his nervous little partner to address his urinary and alcoholic needs before the big fight.

Tifa looked up at her, “Are girls allowed to fight?”

She stopped writing and looked down at her, “... Maybe. Depends on who it is.”

“I'm Tifa Lockheart, I'm in Midgar's MMA league.”

“Hang on a second,” From Aerith's vantage point, she was literally looking straight down the front of Tifa's dress and couldn't comprehend a word she was saying. So she climbed down the short ladder and got a closer look at her, “... Wow. Hi. You're like... kind of jacked.”

Tifa rubbed her arms self consciously, “I've been fighting for four years, I woul – ”

“This could actually be great,” Aerith's eyes were dancing, “Zack! Where can we get a kiddie pool, a bikini, and about seven gallons of vanilla pudding?”

“I know a guy,” was the instant answer. “Forty-five minutes okay?”

“ASAP!” Aerith waved to get him moving.

“No, no! You don't need to get your kiddie pool, vanilla pudding guy!” Tifa started tapping on her phone and found her MMA league bio page. She handed it to Aerith, “I'm a legitimate fighter.”

Aerith read through her bio curiously and began swiping through the images, “... You must be the real deal. They gave you a little undefeated belt and everything.”

She laughed, embarrassed, “They're the only ones who really care. Usually my fights are warm up matches for the fights people are actually there to see.”

“Don't undersell yourself so much,” Aerith said, handing her phone back. “These guys win one lousy scuffle and act like they're God's gift to the world. Would you want to fight tonight? Can you fight dressed like that?”

Tifa didn't know, but answered, “Sure.”

“Good, there's really nothing interesting on the roster tonight. Zack! Forget the bikini and the other stuff.”

He was on his phone and gave her a frown, “The pudding's already on its way.”

Aerith threw her head back and groaned, “Can you tell bar to make shots with it, or something? We'll do a special.”

“On it,” Zack said, and went to go talk to the bartenders.

Tifa took a sharp breath, “Do I need to like, sign anything to fight here, or?”

Aerith handed her a laminated sheet, “Read the rules.”

The sheet was absolutely filled top to bottom, front and back in tiny type. Tifa expected the first rule of the Flower Fight Club to be _not_ to talk about the Flower Fight Club. But it wasn't, the first rule was, 'The club begins promptly at 11pm.' The rest of the rules were just as benign.

Tifa stayed close to Aerith's bleacher chair as she climbed back up and turned on her microphone. She tapped into it, and most of the room quieted. She said, “The door closes in five minutes.”

That declaration was met with a rumble from the growing crowd, and Tifa scanned the rule page until she found rule number seventeen, 'The door closes promptly at 11pm. It will not reopen until the club has completed all fights on the roster.'

Most of the rules were about promptness; Tifa didn't see anything about a waiver or insurance or anything of the sort, so she called up to Aerith, “Do I need to sign anything?”

“If you get hurt one of these dipshits will cure you when the club's over. There's no legal bullshit, though. Like if you need to go to the hospital or something I never saw you.”

“Sounds good to me,” Tifa had to say, and handed the laminated rule sheet back up to her.

Aerith sighed, “You didn't read all of it!”

“I got the gist, I'm promptly right here."

Aerith had to smile down at her, “So would you rather fight a SOLDIER or a civilian? I can introduce you as a contender, and other people can volunteer to fight you... or I can pair you up against a SOLDIER.”

“SOLDIER,” Tifa answered instantly.

Cloud returned from their trip around the old gymnasium with a beer for Tifa, and they drank while watching the clock with growing trepidation. Cloud was nervous because he had a lot to prove to a room full of his peers, most of whom often still made fun of him for being on the small side. Tifa was nervous because she'd never actually fought in heels like this, and it'd really suck to twist her ankle in front of a room full of SOLDIERs.

Sephiroth came up to join them, drinking beer of his own, and Aerith called down to him, “Come on up here to watch Cloud's fight with me, it's the best view in the house!”

He didn't have to be asked twice, he climbed up the lifeguard chair and settled in beside her. He accepted her legs across his lap, “We're out of the spray zone.”

“Exactly, that's why I got this thing. I'm _done_ trying to wash blood out of my hair,” she then held up a finger and watched the clock. It counted down the final five seconds, four, three, two one, and she spoke into the mic, “Close the door.”

And with that, Zack slammed the door shut and bolted it. Most of the lights in the room went dark and a spotlight glared above the center of the floor, which shone directly on top of where Aerith and Sephiroth were sitting, “Welcome to the Flower Fight Club! I'm your hostess Aerith Gainsborough, and this is my _lovely_ assistant General Sephiroth! I don't know which one of us has the best seat in the house, but enjoy the view! We're clearly the best looking people here!”

Sephiroth shook his head despite the ardent cries from the SOLDIERs in the room, including Cloud down below, and pushed the mic away from his mouth when Aerith offered it to him for comment.

She quickly took pity on him and let him off the hook, “Alright you animals, you don't know the rules because nobody ever fucking reads them, but you can settle right in because you're not going anywhere until we're done! We have nine fights on the roster for you tonight, and if it's your first time here, don't worry! I'll explain everything to you since nobody fucking reads. This is a _betting_ club, gentlemen. You will bet on every fight. I will announce the opponents, then you will have fifteen minutes to place your bets. We have an odd-calculating app, and there are plenty of nerds in the crowd who can calculate shit for you. Get the app, find yourself a nerd, or go with your intuition, either way you _must_ give – us – your – money. Maybe you'll get some back. Maybe you won't. I don't give a shit!”

Tifa found herself laughing at literally everything that came out of Aerith's mouth. Maybe it was years of dealing with Shin-Ra recruiters, bar patrons, and little socialite bitches in the bougie restaurants she served at, but watching a woman throw complete sexism and sass out only for it to be lapped up by the crowd was goddamn refreshing.

Aerith cut her mic to whisper to Sephiroth. They seemed to be in hot debate about something, and then were nodding to each other, “Alright, are you ready for the first fight of the evening? This is going to be very interesting, so get out your wallets boys, we all know this won't be your first time blowing your entire wad too soon! We have a new fighter tonight from SOLDIER bird class! Sorry, I meant _Third_ Class! This chocobo-looking mother fucker is the shortest in the program's history, he's the little SOLDIER that could, he's the guy that could only be named Cloud because he's – just – that – fucking – dreamy! Let's give a warm Flower Fight Club welcome to General Sephiroth's main squeeze, so you know he's used to a good, hard pounding... CLOooOUD STRIiiiIFE!”

At this point Aerith cut her mic and giggled alongside Sephiroth, who was laughing uproariously. The rest of the room could not laugh or yell loudly enough along with them.

Cloud was the only person in the room unamused by this introduction.

Aerith wiped a little tear from the corner of her eye and turned her mic back on, “I know you all want to knock this spiky headed himbo to kingdom come for taking General Sephiroth off the market, but hold your volunteers! He already has a rival and she's even prettier than he is! She's gracing us tonight undefeated from the MMA league, Miss _Tifa Lockheart_! Your eyes do not deceive you gentleman, this little lady is about to help us pass the Bechdel test for the first time in Flower Fight Club history! She couldn't make it past Shin-Ra recruitment but she's here to prove she's got the biggest balls in Midgar - TIiiiIFA LOooOCKHEeeEART!”

The sound the audience made could be described as a very enthusiastic 'boo'. She had heard this noise many, many times throughout her career and did what she always did: she stepped into the light and walked in a little circle, blowing kisses here and there.

“Alright boys, place your bets! Timer starts... now!” And the huge red timer on the wall began counting backwards from fifteen minutes.

The room swarmed. Some guys got in line at the betting windows, some began phoning the details in to outside betters, some began writing frantically and trying to calculate the odds.

“Gainsborough!” Cloud barked, approaching her and Sephiroth with a fuming rage. “What the fuck is this?”

“What the fuck is what?” she yelled down at him.

“I can't fight her! She's my best friend!”

"Ohh!" Aerith shivered a little. "The drama of it all!"

"I literally can't imagine hitting a woman!" Cloud insisted. "I cannot fight her, there's just no way!"

“Look blondie, it's not about you anymore! _She's_ here, _she's_ hot, and _she_ needs to fight somebody.”

Tifa called up, “Well why do I have to fight him? Can't I get a First Class opponent?”

Aerith picked out one of the many laminated rule cards, “I know you're eager, but READ! Our policy is to make sure nobody's punching too far up or down so that there's a reason to bet. You're a civilian, a woman, and it's your first fight here - there's no way you'd be able to fight anyone higher than Third Class, and Cloud's the only one on the roster tonight. Rooster! The bird jokes don't stop!”

Zack and Sephiroth laughed appreciatively.

“I don't even know how I'm going to get over the fact that you're complaining about fighting _me_ ,” Cloud glared at Tifa, then stomped his foot at Sephiroth, “I wanna go home!”

Aerith waved the rule card at him, “You can't back out of a match once it's announced!”

“Rules are rules,” Sephiroth agreed.

She elbowed him, “You obviously don't read _or_ listen, because you haven't placed your bet, yet!”

“Oh, I have to?” Sephiroth frowned.

“You're not betting on _me_?” Cloud roared.

“I didn't wanna bet at all. I just came down here to watch you fight. And hopefully get to fuck you while you have a black eye,” Sephiroth smiled at Tifa, “Don't let me down.”

She rocked a little in satisfaction, “Bloody nose at the very least!”

“She gets it,” Sephiroth gave her a finger gun.

Aerith spoke to Sephiroth from the side of her mouth and showed him her phone, “You should probably bet on _her_. Check out the odds... if she wins, you stand to quadruple, quadruple, _quadruple_ your money!”

Sephiroth looked curiously at her phone at how the odds were stacking up, “... I guess five gil wouldn't hurt.”

Aerith laughed, “C'mon General, live a little!”

"Sephiroth _Strife_!" Cloud barked up at him.

His shoulders hiked up a little, “... I'll put five hundred on Cloud. The light of my life.”

Cloud was not impressed, “You're betting on me for the wrong reasons you _dick_!”

“Are we allowed to bet on ourselves?” Tifa asked.

“Of course!” Aerith threw up one of the laminated rule cards, making it wobble loudly, “Nobody reads my fight club rules!”

“The rules were simpler in the movie,” Tifa pointed out.

“What movie?”

“ _Fight Club_!” Tifa told her, laughing.

“Never heard of it.”

“You're not missing much,” Sephiroth said as he handed Aerith his money.

Tifa climbed up to perch at their feet and to give Aerith her bet money, which was the very most she could afford. One hundred gil on herself to win and then took a look at Aerith's phone at the statistics.

“Easy money,” Aerith whispered in her ear. She was kind of amazed at how dark and thick Tifa's eyelashes were. Mascara could only do so much, but her eyes were warm, and dark, and the kind you could eat with a spoon.

Tifa stared at her up close, “I don't want easy money, I wanted to fight a SOLDIER.”

"You are."

She shook her head, "He's not a _real_ one. He's Cloud."

Aerith was watching her lips while she spoke, "If you come back again, you'll get another shot at someone else...?"

Sephiroth was watching them talk with a wide smile, totally living for the tension.

Tifa turned away, and picked up one of the neglected laminated rule cards, “Uh, are there any rules about the actual fight?”

“No magic, no weapons, no potions, no cures,” she recited. “You get a bloody nose, you leave with a bloody nose.”

“Why is that a rule?” she looked at Aerith curiously.

“Reminds these pigs who's the boss,” she grinned, and leaned in to look at those brown eyes again and murmured against her ear, “... Don't you just fucking hate SOLDIERs?”

Tifa had never heard those words, that sentence, that _sentiment_ ever spoken aloud before. It opened up some kind of slumbering wellspring of animosity inside her, and it absolutely delighted at having been touched for the first time. All the dreaming, all the romanticizing, all the hard work and rejection and disappointment, it had all clicked together in some brand new configuration that finally gave her permission to agree – yes she fucking _hated_ SOLDIERs!

She couldn't quite read the expression on Tifa's face, so Aerith throw up a casual shoulder and settled back in beside Sephiroth, “Don't get me wrong, the guys... they're mostly okay. But something about that uniform... I just want to beat the shit out of them. And I'm not alone, that's why people come here.”

“That's why _I'm_ here,” Tifa realized aloud.

“Do it for the both of us, then...” Aerith said, smiling wide back at her.

Tifa's eyes flicked to Sephiroth. If this conversation bothered him, it didn't show in the slightest. In fact... it seemed like he was trying to communicate something to her with his eyes, but she didn't know what.

The clock eventually ran out, and the room grew quiet.

It was Zack's turn to announce, and his style was completely different than Aerith's. He switched on his mic, and didn't need to shout because the room was dead silent, “Fight. I mean, if you want to, no pressure.”

Cloud had been hyped up by some fellow SOLDIER buddies who were also fresh out of the academy for the last few minutes. This fight was a total farce, a sick joke, and any amount of defense or offense would probably have been overkill. He planned to go as easy on her as possible.

He walked towards the center of the floor, and waited without any defensive posture whatsoever.

Tifa had spent the last three minutes searching her own feelings about SOLDIERs. And in reverence for those feelings, she felt validated to walk up to her best friend, the boy who'd grown into the man she loved the very most, and punched him in the face so hard he turned around twice before he hit the ground.

A couple of her knuckles split. When he got back up on his feet, his nose looked broken.

They were locked in a very strange, silent bubble that was completely immune to the deafening roar of disbelief from the room.

There was a heavy stream of blood rushing down his chin, and he made two fists. He was opening and closing them, still seemingly unsure about actually throwing a punch at her.

Her vision narrowed to the blue ribbed tank top he was wearing. No suspenders. He'd removed them. Everything was a consolation with him, everything was this ongoing silent apology for being more successful, for being stronger, for being in love, for just falling upwards from the moment he'd stepped foot in Midgar. The fact that he'd actually taken the effort to remove parts of his uniform felt like the most terrible insult that Tifa had ever suffered.

“Do something,” she urged.

“Tifa - " blood literally sprayed from his mouth as he spoke.

She made three fast strikes with both fists, two in his face and one in his ribs, “Fucking _do_ something!”

So he threw a punch, which she easily dodged, and then began to rain relentless blows on him. He didn't even begin to know how to defend himself against this kind of attack, and was woefully slow about pulling his fist back to attempt to retaliate.

Tifa only fought women like herself that trained hard to perfect their technique in an wholly underappreciated sport. Well, MMA was wildly popular, it was just their gender while performing it that was unpopular. Tifa usually did a match before the “actual” fight, just something to warm up the crowd for the main event. It was much like what she was doing right now, which felt like some sort of performance of humiliation instead of an actual fight. But those women she fought in the MMA league took it seriously, and the longer Tifa participated in that world, the more pride she took in it. She refused to hold back now, this man was a SOLDIER and he should have been able to do _something_.

She got him one more time in the ribs and down he went.

He was clearly done, but she hadn't even started yet, “Someone cure him so we can actually fight!”

“No way!” Aerith bellowed into the mic. “That's a K-O if I ever saw one! This fight's _finished_!”

The men in the room lost of a lot of money over that short first bout, but there were eight more matches on the roster to ease their pain. Cloud was peeled up off the floor, and Aerith beckoned Tifa over.

She muted her mic, “Do you even fucking realize how much money we just made!?”

Tifa hadn't even received one blow from Cloud. Her ankles were fine, and even the injuries on her knuckles were minor compared to how she normally left a match, “... I told you before. I wanted a fight.”

“You'll get all the fights you want! I need you here every Friday! Every fucking SOLDIER in this bitch is gonna wanna fight you!”

Tifa tried to smile, and it got a lot easier when she was handed her cut, which was easily the fattest fucking stack of gil she'd ever seen outside of a stripper's Instagram. She was kind of set for the rest of the _year_. She didn't even know what to do with this much money, so she ducked into the bathroom and stuffed most of it into her bra. She then washed her hands and wrapped her knuckles up in some paper towels.

When she emerged, Cloud was awake and sitting on the bleachers between Sephiroth and Aerith. Everyone's attention was already on the next fight, and Zack was currently announcing the introductions in his own endearing way.

"Did you know that Kunsel actually traveled to Junon for an international spelling bee when he was like eight-years-old? I dunno how to spell for shit, I think anyone that can stand in front of people and spell anything out loud is like, a genius. I also feel like his ass might be really fun to kick. Who wants to volunteer to try?" Zack might not have been as rude or funny as Aerith was, but everything he said just came out so likable and sincere.

Tifa ignored the men who were now trying to talk to her, and went to the bar. She refused all offers for free drinks, and bought four beers, and four vanilla pudding and bourbon shots, and then approached them with her peace offering, “... Hey. I'm sorry Cloud.”

“I detherved it,” he said as he looked at her from his one good, albeit watery eye and accepted a beer and the pudding shot. “Thorry I underthimated you.”

Sephiroth took a beer and silently turned down the pudding shot with a frown, but was too uneasy to take a drink. His fantasy of Cloud roughened around the edges by a fistfight was super sexy in theory, but he didn't find much appeal now, “You wanna go home?”

“We can't. Leaving ith againtht the rulettth.”

“As soon as we walk out of here I'm gonna fix this,” Sephiroth told him, kissing the top of his head. It might have been the only place that he wasn't currently bleeding.

Aerith accepted a beer and two pudding shots from Tifa, “We can bend the rules this once... you're bleeding all over my floor and making me sick.”

Sephiroth immediately cured Cloud. He pulled off his shirt and used it to wipe his face and then began feeling all his teeth. Surprised that they were all still in place, he took a swig of beer and spat the taste of blood out of his mouth.

“You okay?” Tifa asked.

Cloud was still light headed, “Wow. Wow! I didn't even see that coming...”

Tifa was halfway through her beer and blushing with guilt, “I shouldn't have gone that far.”

Cloud shook his head as he licked pudding out of the little shot cup, “No ma'am! I'm sure somewhere on that page of rules it says 'no holding back'. Especially not when your shithead friend complained about having to fight you.”

“Shithead _best_ friend,” Tifa amended.

Sephiroth took a long drink of his beer, “Hey Tifa Lockheart?”

She was completely ready to be reamed for beating the living shit out of his fiance, and invited it, “... Yes, General Sephiroth?”

“You wanna fight me?”

Aerith choked on her beer, “Mng! _Oh my God_. We're gonna make so much fucking money! Wait a couple weeks though, let me start promoting it now!”

Cloud knocked his boot into Sephiroth's, “You should stick to sword fighting, too. Just saying. That was _insane_.”

“You really think she'd beat me?”

"Yes."

Sephiroth sat up taller and looked at Tifa with assessing eyes. “... I _have_ to fight her.”

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

It only took twelve weeks of matches at the Flower Fight Club before Tifa was kind of over it. She liked being able to quit her grind jobs, and she really liked going over to get ready with Cloud and Sephiroth before the fight club every week. And she _loved_ spending time with Aerith and watching how she played SOLDIERs so well, and seemed to be able to create so much money out of nothing.

What she was actually doing with all that money was even more impressive.

Zack had blurted it out during one of their post-fight club hang outs, “Once this place gets renovated and opens up - ”

“Shhh!” Aerith hissed at him.

“You're renovating the church?” Tifa asked.

Zack realized his blunder and tried to smooth it over, “Yeah well, gotta steam clean all the blood off the floor once in a while!”

Tifa didn't let it go, “What are you opening up?”

Aerith glared at Zack, and then blinked and turned her eyes to Tifa, “... I don't like talking about plans, because it jinxes them.”

“You won't jinx it by just telling _me_."

“... We put in a deposit to renovate the church into a shelter,” she finally spat out. “That was the whole point of the flower shop. I mean, the real one upstairs. There are no real shelters in Midgar, and the ones that do exist are a pipeline for guys to get recruited into the army, or for women to get trafficked. But by the time I'd save enough money selling flowers to actually bring this place up to code so it could become a real non-profit, human life would be extinct on Earth, so I thought... who has money? Shin-Ra does. Who has a lot of Shin-Ra's money? SOLDIERs. I can't _mug_ SOLDIERs, but I can... separate them from their money by providing a service. And I can't think of a better service than allowing regular people to beat the shit out of them, or at least have the chance to try.”

Tifa glanced at Zack, “... What do you get out of this?”

He seemed confused by the question, “What?”

"I mean, you guys are together but why would you exploit other SOLDIERs - "

"Whoa!" Aerith cried.

Zack was shaking his head violently, "We're not dating!"

Tifa's face grew red and hot, "Oh my God, I'm sorry. I just thought - "

"We're best friends! Like you and Cloud!" Aerith cried, fanning her face with one of her laminated rule sheets.

Zack leapt up, "I actually have to work kind of early tomorrow, I should start cleaning!"

Aerith giggled once he was gone, “He isn't... he doesn't date."

"Oh... is he... why?"

"I'll let him tell you, when he can. He's figuring stuff out."

"I shouldn't have even asked why, it's none of my business!" Tifa hid her face. "I'm really sorry, I just assumed you guys... I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

"... Are you dating anybody? I mean, are you the same, are you figuring stuff out?"

"I'm figured out. I'm not dating anybody, though."

"... Oh."

Aerith was still fanning her face, "To answer your question, he doesn't get anything out of it, he just wants to help. He brought in all his buddies and make it a cool place to know about, and they brought in more, and they brought it all the others. If they knew they were actually fighting for charity, I don't think they'd be nearly as eager to come here.”

It was weird how true that logic was. Something about knowing that Aerith's loud, garish show of greed was really just determination to do something positive for the downtown slums changed... everything.

“I want to help too, as long as I can,” Tifa told her, and she did. She fought every week until the new year, and only took as much money for her participation as she needed, the rest she let Aerith keep for the work that had begun on the cathedral.

But the actual MMA league fighting season was about to begin, and Tifa was eager to return to defend her undefeated title against people who didn't absolutely suck at fighting. SOLDIERs simply weren't trained in hand-to-hand combat, and in this environment against a professional fighter, it was like shooting fish in a barrel. If the fish were really boisterous and sure of themselves and liked to lose their money while getting their asses beat.

There were even a couple matches that felt like these guys... _got off_ on having their jaws dislocated by a beautiful woman. Stepping on eggs in high heels for an old guy with a fetish online was one thing, but she really felt like this was taking a turn into something really gross that took the fun right out of it.

Tifa's retirement match was against General Sephiroth, and they both hoed it all the way the fuck up. She'd gone shopping with Cloud and they allowed themselves to revert back to middle schoolers, and she was dressed like her greatest fishnet stripper power fantasy. Sephiroth was dressed like Sephiroth, which turned out to be his own middle school leather dress-to-kill fantasy that he got to live almost every day. Maybe most badass people were just living out their adolescent dreams.

She allowed Sephiroth to get a couple good swings in, just to make it look nice and juicy for the crowd. But when it came down to it, Sephiroth was a swordsman who knew how to take a punch, but not thirty in rapid fire succession. And without any armor, magic or enhancement, he went down like the rest of them. But just to preserve his reputation, she didn't knock him unconscious, just to his knees.

After the match they had their usual celebratory beers together, and he tied back his silver hair and wore his black eye and split lip with pride. Cloud was extremely smitten, but Sephiroth pushed away his cuddly advances and left him with Aerith and Zack to pull Tifa aside.

Tifa actually really liked Sephiroth and was used to him by now, but it was still made her a little nervous to be pulled away, and she tried to joke, “You're not getting a cut of my winnings!”

Sephiroth's face was serious. Bloody, but serious, “I know you don't want to talk to me about SOLDIER recruitment, and I know you never wanted my help. But between you and me... I just want you to know I always vote for letting women into the army. I completely support it.”

“... Yeah, I know.”

“It's not gonna be easy to be the first, but someone has to be or else things aren't ever going to change. I think it's time to stop asking and start telling. If it's me telling, they're not gonna say no, and you're gonna open the door for a lot more women.”

“Seph...”

“I can fast track you. A new semester at the Academy is starting in a couple weeks, let's get you enrolled. We can have you in a uniform in sixteen months.”

This was what she'd been wanting to hear for four years. And now that it was being offered to her, her answer was, “I can't.”

“What?”

“Aerith hired me. I'm not going to fight anymore, but I'm gonna start working here with her and Zack... ever since I started coming here, I feel like I've been more and more... I came to Midgar because wanted to be useful, and strong, and important, and... I don't have to be a SOLDIER to be those things.”

“And you're in love with Aerith.”

Tifa bristled, “I mean - what? It's not about - I don't _want_ to be a SOLDIER! I'm actually not really cut out for it.”

He looked doubtful, “You literally have beaten up everyone I know.”

Tifa laughed, “In dirty hand-to-hand, maybe! I wouldn't know the first thing about using a sword, and I'm honestly kind of sucky at magic. Why would I want to spend the next year and a half with a bunch of teenage boys trying to learn how to fight like you? _This_ is what I'm best at, and I feel like I can help Aerith do some good here. Someone will be the first woman SOLDIER, and she'll be great... it's just not gonna be me.”

“Then that gives me an even better idea. Later on, after this all settles, let's talk about the possibility of you coming in as a trainer. Help us not suck at hand-to-hand... you can still beat up on SOLDIERs and get paid for it,” he held out his hand.

She shook it enthusiastically, “That actually sounds fun!”

"Next question, since you never want to hang out with just me and I probably won't be able to ask ever again..."

"Shut up!" she laughed.

He sighed, "I know girls... sometimes can be slow movers. But when the _fuck_ are you gonna get together with her?"

"I'm working on it!"

"What does that mean?"

"The timing's been awful! It was just the holidays, nobody starts dating around the holidays!"

"Yes they fucking do, wha - "

"And now I'm about to start training for the new season, I can't do anything fun when I'm on a training diet! Who wants to date someone who has to eat clean? Plus we're literally about to start working together... what if spending more time together means she gets sick of me? It might take some more time to feel out how things develop when-"

"I finally, completely understand."

She sighed in relief, "Really?"

"Yeah. This is how you're this _stupid hot_ , but still single."

"It's not that easy to just start dating somebody!"

"Yes it is."

"How?" she implored.

"Eat her ass!" he raised his voice to a shout when she started to shriek, "If you aren't eating her ass by Valentine's Day I'm gonna lose my mind!"

They laughed together until they cooled off enough to rejoin the others.

Cloud had been staring at them with his arms crossed, and glowered at them as they approached, “Were you talking about me?”

“Of course,” Sephiroth answered. “It's your world babe, we're all just living in it.”

Aerith was announcing the final tallies of the day and giving a teaser for the fights happening the following week. While she was speaking, her eyes caught Tifa's and became warm.

Maybe Aerith wouldn't want a girlfriend who couldn't drink during training season or eat junk food or needed to train all the time or happened to be someone she now worked with. Maybe she didn't want to date a woman at all and was one of those people who was just a relentless tease. But it wouldn't hurt to simply ask, would it?

That night when they were alone, after everyone but Zack had left and they'd begun to clean up, Tifa became too afraid to ask.

It seemed like a really horrible idea in theory to just kiss someone out of the blue without communicating, or making sure they wanted to, or discussing the possible ramifications on their friendship. It just seemed like something that people did in really bad movies, it would never work out well in real life.

But when Aerith suddenly wrapped her arms around Tifa's neck and lifted onto her toes and went for it... it came as a shock. Tifa had envisioned it so often that she easily pulled her in by her waist, parted her lips, and slid her tongue into Aerith's mouth like she'd done it a million times.

In her fantasies Zack wasn't there to catch them, squawk in embarrassment and flee, but that was just the inconvenience of reality.

But a kiss had happened, and they were still in each other's arms and looking at each other up close.

Tifa wanted to ask her if this was okay, what it meant, what it would mean the next day and the day after, but she couldn't speak. Kissing Aerith's soft lips felt too good, and their second kiss came from Tifa with no intention but to just further experience that feeling.

**Author's Note:**

> So you might have noticed by now, but I tweaked your prompt a little, Venn_Circeles! You asked for Tifa to be a wrestler and for Aerith to run a semi-illegal relationship consultancy, but I think MMA is hotter and I literally do not know what a semi-illegal relationship consultancy is and Google kind of failed me, is it like a sugar baby/ sugar daddy match making service?? I just felt way more attracted to the idea of Aerith running a beating up on SOLDIER service (ง'̀-'́)ง And it was easy to throw in SephCloud to hopefully satisfy that in you, too! This story is really silly and the pace is sort of nuts, I feel like this could easily be like so many chapters. Also, I wanted to say more about Zack but it became hard without making like a mini arc ABOUT ZACK which this story does not need. I just had an urge lately to write about someone who doesn't know what the fuck is going on with themselves. That's all! But this story isn't about Zack, or Tifa and Cloud finding a cat which I went on a 3 page tangent about before I realized I had lost control of my life. One shots are hard! But I really hope you enjoyed it, I had a lot of fun writing it!


End file.
